Singular vs. Plural

Question

I have deleted a prior similar thread whose example sentence was too confusing. I am now using a more simple example. Would you use SINGULAR or PLURAL, and why?

Many biopsies are pointless because their tested cells are not sufficiently similar to constitute a fungal system. (SINGULAR)

Many biopsies are pointless because their tested cells are not sufficiently similar to constitute fungal systems. (PLURAL)

The intended meaning is that a biopsy only makes sense if its tested cells form a single fungal system.

I would pick SINGULAR but I am hesitating because it could give rise to the misinterpretation that the tested cells of all biopsies should belong to a single fungal system. On the other hand, PLURAL could also be misinterpreted as meaning that a biopsy should have multiple fungal systems.

Answer 1

You have three nouns here: biopsy, cell, and system. Don't let them confuse each other.

Yes, multiple things can come together to make a "collective noun." E.g. These cows constitute a herd. Using the singular for "system" is totally okay. At the same time, plural would be allowable because you're talking about multiple "biopsies." You could say "most cows belong to a herd" or "most cows belong to herds," equally validly. And yes, I would choose the singular herd if there were any danger of supposing that any cows belonged to multiple herds at once.

The second point is that context creates meaning. I can't imagine the reader supposing that the cells of all biopsies, everywhere, create one giant system. But if there's any chance of that misunderstanding, it should be addressed and clarified with more than just a single word choice.

Answer 2

You can resolve by specifically relating "tested cells" to "biopsies" with a preposition.

Many biopsies are pointless because the tested cells within them are not sufficiently similar to constitute a fungal system.

Answer 3

Both sentences are grammatically correct, and both can have the meaning you intend.

The plural one, however, is ambiguous, and could also mean several fungal systems.

So the singular one is preferable unless it's clear from the context that you're looking for one fungal system.